Chapter 24

Life as a Fox

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Naruto trotted slowly around the rehabilitation track in the Anbu training and physical therpy center. It had took him a few weeks to heal, mend and get his strength back. Naruto felt a whole lot better, everyone was happy that he was back, and Tomi was fitting in well with Kiba and Hinata, he was very kind and respectul and helped out around the house. The other rookie nine had accepted him as well, Ino liked to pinch his cheeks and call him her' little brother', which made him blush vividly.

Naruto chuckled to himself at the thought, "something funny?" Ichino asked running in step beside him, "oh nothing, just thinking to myself" Ichino sighed, Naruto glanced at him, "something wrong?" Ichino nodded "hopefully you never get hurt that badly ever agian" he said, "why?" Naruto asked "I don't think there will be much help we can bring".

Naruto glanced at him, "what do you mean?" "Snowfox, our head healer, she passed away, now we have no one to teach all the other medics, who at this point are all green horns and were only in their second year of healing, so we are screwed when it comes to healers..."

Naruto sighed then an Idea formed, "hey, what if we could find a new healer? just as good?" Ichino shrugged, "I don't know anyone who was as good as her, Lady Tsunade maybe, but she's anciant and shes retired, and works at the hospital"

Naruto grinned "I never said, he was Human" then Naruto put on a burst of speed and ran towards the exit.

Mammoth stared down a him, "a what?" "a badger demon, I met him while we were on our Anbu final exam, he's good he healed Ichino." Mammoth rubbed his temples. "Wolfheart, anyone can heal basic wounds, we need an expert,-" "Gomeg is an Expert! just meet him, thats all I am asking".

Mammoth sat back in his chair, "fine, I give you one week to bring him here, that is if you can find him, you got it?" Naruto nodded and ran out of the room. Mammoth chuckled and sighed, "hnmmm another Demon, I wonder..."

Naruto ran as fast as his body would allow him, after paying his respects to Toyi he wandered off in the direction of Gomegs cave. He wandered up to the entrence, and knocked on the little door, Gomegs didn't really have a cave persay, it was more like a large dug out burrow.

Naruto was about to knock when Gomegs wiry voice came out from behind it, "come in Brother Wolf", Naruto entered, Gomeg was fixing himself some weird concocgtion of grub worms, a weird moss of somesort and leaves. "ah, join me for lunch?" Naruto shook his head, "no, Gomeg, you are an expert healer right?" Gomeg grinned showing off his yellowed sharp teeth, "of course, I am a Demon healer."

Naruto sighed "well, our head Healer back at the Anbu, she died, and left behind a bunch of half trained apprentices, I was wondering if you would like to take over?" Gomeg paused in his chewing, "now, why would I do that?" Naruto sighed "because, you don't have to live in this hole anymore! you can be able to go out and not have to worry about someone trying to shoot you for your pelt!".

Gomeg nodded, "hnmmmm that would be nice" Naruto continued, "also, you wouldn't need to have to forge for your own food, and supplies!, you have that all there already!, and the food...its actual food! any kind of meat you want! rare, red, bloody whatever you want whenever!".

Gomeg eyed him, "you are putting a very convincing argument, I am tempted, very tempted" Naruto tried to think of something Gomeg would like, "and...you have a bunch of humans you can boss around all day" Gomeg dropped his food, "well, what am I sitting here eating this, help me pack you big oaf!".

Naruto grinned and helped seal the essential things Gomegs needed, his papers and some of the more exotic supplies his 'totems' and things of that nature. When it was all sealed and ready to go, Gomeg made one last look at his home, "so long old abode" then with that he leaped upon Naruto's back "now mush my Wolfy friend, you don't expect these old bones to carry me all the way".

Naruto sighed and rolled his eyes then leaped into the air, getting a satisfing yelp from his aged passenger on his back. Naruto carried Gomeg fast over the landscape as it bled into the familiat forests and vallies that surrounded the Leaf villege.

The overall trip took three days for Naruto to carry out, on the morning of the 4th Naruto arrived at the entrence to the Anbu head quarters, "now, these people we are the best of the best warriors, they comand complete and utter respect."

Gomeg waved him off while he climbed down from Naruto's back, he walked on his paws, his long curved Badger claws clacking against the floor, they didn't run into anyone until they rounded the first corner. It was a few girl Anbu they screamed "ah! who let a wild Badger in!" Gomeg turned to them "hey now, young humans, I am not wild, I was in my younger days but not now".

Gomeg then turned away form them, all of them stared at him , Naruto apologized to them and ran after Gomeg. "come Gomeg we must go meet Mammoth" Gomeg turned away, "no, I smell blood" "Gomeg, now is not the time to eat!" Gomeg ignored him, Naruto ran after him, for an old badger he moved fast.

Gomeg however did not head to the cafeteria, instead he was headed ot the medic ward, Gomeg opened the doors. There was two men groaning and screaming in pain, all the medic nin surrounded them and were yelling orders to each other, "no give him morphine then sanitize the wound!" but another would argue something else, all of them were going about like chickens with their heads cut off.

Naruto looked clodely at the wound it looked to be some sort of burn and stab wound, like someone was stabbed with a large object that removed a chunk of their bodies, skin, fat muscle everything, Naruto winced it looked dreadfully painful. But Gomeg walked up to the tables with an expert ease, he leaped up suprising some of them, and also causing others to scream.

Gomeg glared at them, "everyone shut-up, first, you must get them to stop moving, put them under you dolts" Gomeg extended his claws out and touched the scraming mans neck, he instantly went still and relaxed completly. Gomeg then looked at the wound, "now you must build the body back up, speed up the regeneration cells, of Muscle, fat, blood vessels everything, make it new, use copies of neiboring D.N.A".

Gomeg reached down with a paw, and the wound bubbled as raw power flooded over it, the Muscle began to grow again, forming small red bridges, linking together, then white cremey fat slid over top of that, finally the criss crossing of thousands of micro vessles forged through the new tissues, then a layer of skin completed the wound.

Gomeg turned to the next man, "well, are you just going to stand there or you going to help the poor man, healers must learn to be healers no matter what the wound". Naruto smirked all of the Medic nodded and wordlessly moved to the next man, not being able to grasp the fullness of the situation. "I think I have seen enough" Naruto turned to Mammoth, "I am guessing this is your badger?" Gomeg snapped his head around, "excuse me, I am not anyones badger, I am a wild Demon always have always will, but I am willing to offer my talents to help out my kin, plus I hear you have some young humans that need bossing aorund, but I will be more inclined to listening to your propositions of employment over a nice sliver of red deer meat, extra fleshy if you don't mind."

Some of the medics turned gaping, this was Mammoth this small strange creature was mothing off too, Gomeg turned "is your patiant healed yet? I don't think so, remember build the foundation first work your way up, after thats done give them whatever to fight off infection and send them off to be brinless idiot who get caught in crossfires again."

Mammoth looked down at this creature, he was the normal sie of a badger, only a lot more aged, his fur was streaked with silver and gray, his eyes were errily, cloudy blue, yet seemed to look straight through you. His tetth were small sharp and yellow a few missing, and a few chipped, but by no means were they fragile, his claws were yellowed and caked with grime, they were about three inches long and curved dangerously making him to actully be a quite dangerous and intimidating person.

The badger hopped down from the table, "well now, lets go eat", Mammoth nodded and turned leading them both all the way into his office, he sat down and ordered mouse to bring him up steak, only one cooked. Mouse entered with the steak almost immediatly, he glanced at Gomeg but like any good office assistant he said not a word.

Mammoth turned to Gomeg who was digging greedily into his steak, "so, you are a badger demon" Gomeg nodded, "not only, I am also a Badger Demon shamen, I heal, interpet dreams and the stars and preserve the history of our people". Wolfheart nodded and looked thoughtful for a second, "I see, well I know you have excellent Medic skill, and you are very capable at being able to teach our medic's, but I want ot know is what do you want in return?".

Gomeg grinned, "I want what any creature would want, a nice warm dry place to call my own, an ample food supply, to live without being in fear of someone after my pelt, and to not have to be alone anymore, Demons find a solace with another, it has been many years since I have met a fellow Demon, now that I have, I don't want to lose him, plus like I said bossing aorund humans has a nice ring to it."

Mammoth nodded, "very well, I agree, you are welcome into the Anbu, you won't be a warrior like Wolfheart here, so you don't need to go through Anbu training, you are our head Medic, I will of course have to bring a meeting to well...introduce you." Gomeg nodded, "very well, I accept, er...what is your name again? Muffin? err...Maggot?" "Mammoth" both he and Wolfheart said at the same time.

Gomeg nodded "ah, yes Mammoth, the great wanderers of the north, the anciant keepers of the mystic lights, the leaders of the great Ice storms" Mammoth looked at him "ummm...Mammoths are extinct, they are only stories now" Gomeg grinned, "now...who on earth ever said that? I am Gomeg, and although these eyes are blind, these eyes have seen the Mammoths they still exist, and your soul is in harmony with them, you are a Mammoth through and through, never doubt that".

Mammoth was silent, then he cleared his throat "um, yes well then, MOUSE!" he yelled for Mouse, "SIR?" Mouse said coming in, "call a meeting, we ahve a new member of the Anbu". Mouse glanced at Gomeg, "ah...yes sir, very well".

There was a murmuring as all the Anbu sat down and got situated, Mammoth stood at the lead table, "as you know, Snowfox our head Medic died, now the Medic wing of the Anbu is quite different, their main pupose is to heal, not to fight, they are far more advanced in healing then few others, however Snowfox failed to name a successor so, as for Anbu code, I chose one, and the one I have chosen is a person who I know without a doubt is qualified for the job."

There was a silence as he talked, Mammoth sighed "The villege of Konoha is the first to ever have a Demon Anbu member, well, now the record is going to be broken, for we now also have a Demon head Medic, everone meet Silversight, the newest member of the family." With that, Naruto and Gomeg entered the room, there was a roar of applause, (hinted with a ripple of confusion).

Gomeg whispered to Naruto, "Silversight?" Naruto grinned, "he can sometimes over do it when it comes to naming" Gomeg nodded "of course, Wolfheart, now...what do I do?" Naruto lead him up to where Mammoth stood, "say a few words" Gomeg looked around, there was a silence Gomeg spoke, his vopice taking on that powerdul deepnes it did when he spoke of something of great importence everyone strained to drink more of him in.

"For many years, I have sat and watched idilly by as my people got slautered, I once had a mate, and a family, I had many things, but all of it was taken away by the greed and hatred of Humans, however I still had one thing, my faith, you see few Humans realize that we Demons have a goddess, one who gave up her place in the godly palace for us, she told me to keep on and put trust in the humans, this is me doing so, I beleive soon, so very soon, we Dmeons that have survived for so long in the darkness, we who have had to live in the shadows can once agian take to the light, now when that time comes, you are going to need someone who knows how to heal both Demons and Humans, and I guess..." Gomeg paused, everyone was silent captivated by him, even Naruto.

Gomeg looked up again, "I Silversight, am the Demon you want, now as for my new apprentices..." Gomeg glanced at them, "I may be blind, but these eyes see everything" he said staring right directly at them, "and these claws" he said holding them up "aren't just for show, so get good rest tonight" Gomeg nodded to Naruto, Naruto stepped down, Gomeg followed, people clapped as they left.

Naruto grinned, happily, he was no longer alone, he now had a fellow demon like him, he now didn't feel like a freak anymore, he had his friends he had his dream career at the moment, he had everything, yet...something was still missing...

yay! I finished another chapter in record time!

yay for me, anyway oh yeah if any of you are on (deleate the '-' when you put it in the website address thingie, add me as a friend my screen name is Spiritwolf100 on W-W-W. h-o-w-r-s-e.c-o-m

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